Flexible coupling



May 7, 1940. T, w 2,199,624

r FLEXIBLE COUPLING Filed March 26, 1938 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 770mm Lid/472k INVENTOR ATTORNEY May 7, 1940. T. L. FAwlcK FLEXIBLE COUPLING A Filed March as, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R O T N E V m ,Qmrl 1 \h NM mm BY 2 g. M 1.

I ATTORNEY Patented Ma 7, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 12 Claims including an annular torque-transmitting fiuidcontainer having flexible walls and in some of its aspects the present invention is in the nature of an improvement upon the inventions of the said patent and the said application.

When the driving shaft is connected to the driven shaft through an element that is highly deformable for compensation of shaft misalign- 0 ment, as in the case of the fluid containers above mentioned, such an element may be excessively deformed by heavy thrust required to be sustained by the assembly, as in the case of propeller shafts. v

The chief objects of this invention are to avoid such excessive deformation; to avoid it without greatly reducing the flexibility of the coupling; to avoid it without greatly reducing the powertransmission efficiency of the coupling; to lessen the impact effect ofsudden application of a thrust load; to prolong the life of the deformable torque-transmitting element; and to provide some or all of these advantages in a simple and eco- Fig. 4 is an elevation of the same from the left of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the same from the right of Fig. 3.

Referring first to the assembly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the assembly there shown comprises a driving shaft Ill having keyed upon it a flange member or head II, and a driven propeller shaft I2 having keyed upon it a head I3 formed with a cylindrical outer surface I4 embraced by an annular. flexible, torque-transmitting fluid-container I5 which is held to an oblong crosssectional form by the inner cylindrical face I6 of a bell-shaped member I! which is secured to the head II of the shaft ID by bolts l8, I8.

For transmitting the propeller thrust from the propeller shaft I2 to the driving shaft I0 without excessive deformation of or strain upon the fluidcontainer I5, arubber thrust-receiving and cushioning ring I9, preferably of small inner and outer diameter to avoid stiffening of the assembly against shaft misalignment, is mounted in a position substantially coaxial with the shafts.

In this embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 the rub ber ring I9 is shown as being of V-form in crosssection, for sustaining and cushioning the thrust in either direction of drive, the ring being embraced between a V-channeled boss 29 formed on the head I I of the shaft I0 and V-shaped flanges 2|, 2| formed respectively on a pair of half -circ1e clamping members 2'2, 22 which are tightened upon the rubber ring by bolts 23, 23 and are secured to the head I3 of the'shaft I2 by bolts- The rubber ring I9 can be made endless and stretched into place or can be made in sections. and the construction is such that with suitable relative dimensions it can be put under permanent compression or pre-loaded by the forcing home of the nuts on the bolts 23.

The container I5 preferably is of substantially the same construction as a pneumatic tire except that, for high lateral deformability and high to sustain heavy thrust in either direction without yielding more than enough to give adesirable cushioning effect.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 to 5. the flexible, torque-transmitting fluid-container, 25. is vulcanized to an inner metal-stamping 26 having at its axially outer side an outwardly projecting radial attachment flange 21 and at itsaxially inner side an internal radial thrust-receiving flange 28.

The container also is'vulcanized to an outer the head (not shown) of a shaft, and the bolts H 32 being adapted to receive a torque-transmitting and thrust-sustaining plate 34 adaptedto be secured to the head of the other shaft by bolts 35, 35.

Welded to the plate 34 is a metal stamping 36 annular rubber thrust-ring portion 31 formed as a. part of'the fluid-container assembly, for

transmitting thrust from one to the other of the two parts directly embracing it, which are the margin of the center-boss stamping iiand the inwardly extending flange 28 of the stamping 26.

The construction is such that with suitable relative dimensions the rubber thrust-ring 31 can be put under permanent compression or preloaded by' the forcing home of the-nuts on the bolts 32. I

In this embodiment, as well as in that of Figs. 1 and 2, the rubber thrust ring is preferably of relatively small diameter, so that it is not greatly deformed by angular shaft misalignment.

It will be manifest that the constructions shown and described provide in high degree the advantages that are indicated in the above -statement of objects.

Further modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1.'A flexible coupling comprising a pair 01 coupled members, means at a relatively large distance from the axis of rotation for transmitting torque from one to the other of them, and a thrust-sustaining and substantially non-torquetransmitting assembly confined to a region closer to the axis of rotation than any part of the ,said torque-transmitting means and comprising thrust-transmitting means on the respective coupled members, one of said means comprising an-externally .channeled member and the other a plurality of clamping members, and resiliently deformable cushioning material interposed operatively between the two said means as to both directions of thrust. N

3. A flexible coupling comprising a pair of coupled members, means at a relatively large distance from the axis of rotation for transmitting torque from one to the other of them, and a thrust-sustaining and substantially non-torquetransmitting assembly confined to aregion closer to the axis of rotation than any part of the said torque-transmitting means and comprising thrust-transmitting means on the respective coupled members, one of said means comprising an externally channeled member and the other a plurality of clamping members, and resiliently deformable cushioning material interposed operatively between the two said means as to both directions of thrust, the'cushioning material and the members embracing it being so formed with said material is put under compression in an axial direction by being radially clamped.

4. A flexible coupling comprising 'a pair of coupled members, a flexible, torque-transmitting fluid-container for transmitting torque from one directions of thrust.

. 9,199,03 shaped to providea center-boss to fit into an to the other of them, and resiliently deformable means interposed operatively between the coupled members for the cushioning of thrust, the torque-transmitting member and the thrust cushioning means comprisingparts of a single molded article, inclusive of bolts for attaching it to the coupled members.

5. A flexible coupling comprising a driving member and a driven member, means at a relatively large distance from the axis of rotation adapted to transmit'torque from the driving member to the driven member substantially without a component of the torque urging .the said members towardeach other or out of alignment, and pre-loaded thrust-cushioning means closer to the axis of rotation.

6. A flexible coupling comprising a driving member and a driven member, means at a rela-- tively large distance from the axis of rotation adapted .to transmit torque from the driving member to the driven member substantially without a component 01 the torque urging the said members toward each other or out of alignment, and pre-loaded thrust-cushioning means closer to the axis of rotation, the thrust-cushioning means comprising a thrust-cushion of resiliently deformable material.

7. A' flexible coupling comprising a driving member and a driven member, means at a relatively large distance from the axis of rotation for transmitting substantially all of the torque from the driving member to the driven member and means closer-to the axis of rotation for susoi the thrust as to bothtaining substantially all for transmitting substantially all of the torque from the driving member to the driven member and resiliently deformable means closer to the axis of rotation for sustaining substantially all of the thrust as to both directions of thrust.

9. A flexible coupling comprising a pair of coupled members, an annular fluid-container having freely-flexing side-walls for transmitting torque at 'a relatively large distance from the axis of rotation and thrust-sustaining means closer to the axis of rotation.

10. A flexible coupling comprising a pair of coupled members, an annular fluid-container having freely-flexing side-walls for transmitting torque at a relatively. large distance from the axis of rotation and thrust-cushioning means closer to the axis of rotation.

11. A flexible coupling comprising a pair of coupled members, an annular fluid-container having freely-flexing side-walls for transmitting torque at a relatively large distance from the axis of rotation and thrust-cushioning means closer to the axis of rotation and so formed and associated as to sustain the thrust in compression as to both directions of thrust.

12. A flexible coupling comprising a driving member and a driven member, means at a relatively large distance from the axis of rotation for transmitting substantially all of the torque obliquely-disposed engagement faces that the from the driving member to the driven member and means closer to the axis of rotation for susmoms L. mwrcx. 

